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Main definitions of dole in English

dole1

noun

1usually the doleBritish informal mass nounBenefit paid by the state to the unemployed.

‘I was on the dole for three years’

as modifier‘my next dole cheque’

‘But the increasing number of low-income dole recipients shows that wages have generally stayed low and that its economy is not likely to fully recover in the short term.’

‘His bank at home transfers his dole money to a local bank here.’

‘Despite being laid off, workers are not yet entitled to any dole payments.’

‘Whole regions of the country went into serious decline, and unemployment and dole dependency skyrocketed.’

‘Unemployed and facing the dole queue, this enterprising young man decided to set up his own business.’

‘Its resistance was made possible not merely by its unionization but by the dole to the unemployed.’

‘All these writers emphasise the resilience and diversity of unemployed protest, from the peaceful petitioning favoured by moderates to the mass resistance of anti-eviction struggles and dole strikes.’

‘Our tax dollars get wasted on dole payments to businesses who then charge us more for the privilege of consuming the products we've already subsidised.’

‘Pocket money, dole or reduced pension does not stretch to these luxuries, since privatisation for profit precludes travel to and cost of entrance to these simple pleasures.’

‘She left a scribbled note, saying she was going downtown to cash her dole cheque.’

‘Chinese medicine subsidy may be granted to elderly dole recipients.’

‘However, he said he had declined the invitation because he would be attending a rally on September 30 to protest against cuts in dole payments to the elderly and disabled.’

‘Many poor families could not afford such activities as swimming classes for their children, especially after dole payments were slashed by 11 per cent last year.’

‘The government has come under renewed attack after it said it would go ahead with cuts in dole payments to the disabled and elderly despite calls from a wide spectrum of the community to delay the reductions.’

‘Those people going on the dole would have otherwise been employed and off the dole.’

‘The three lads topped up their dole cheques with some cash-in-hand building work for Alan's dad, a building contractor.’

‘The allowances of able-bodied dole recipients was cut by this amount last October but those for the elderly and the disabled were spread over two phases, last October and on Friday.’

‘She said: ‘If he had had that first dole cheque on time my son might be alive today.’’

‘A broadside has been issued at ‘the dole office’ for alleged harassment of people who want to claim dole.’

‘He was talking on Wednesday about plans by welfare groups to stage a protest against cuts in dole payments.’

‘But his language mistakes were no barriers as kids and elders alike wanted to hear the man as he showered doles on them.’

‘On the other we have a party, which realises the importance of opening up our economic and trade frontiers and is happy to project India as a prosperous land, which does not require dole from the developed world anymore.’

‘Sometimes people feel insulted to get doles from jeans-clad English-speaking urbane rich-kids.’

‘Another institution of the municipality was the langarkhana, where money and grain doles were issued to the destitute once a week and clothes once a year.’

verb

‘On the other hand, you need a lot of dividend income for this tax break to stimulate your personal economy, and companies are stingy doling dividends out.’

‘These clues are doled out slowly, often in half-overheard conversations or in a furtive glance or gesture.’

‘The 2004 movie year doesn't officially end for two more months, when the Oscars are doled out.’

‘Before she took over, every girl in the school received an award of some sort: Commendations were doled out for such accomplishments as athletic achievement, an outstanding English essay, and improvement in math class.’

‘In the past, she's officiated at some of his games but doles out absolutely no favoritism.’

‘If landing rights were doled out by something resembling a market, this ‘help’ wouldn't be needed.’

‘I get as many tickets as I can to each show I attend and dole them out to the uninitiated.’

‘Minimum rewards were doled out at totally random intervals, yet many of the subjects developed curious repetitive actions.’

‘They are less willing to swallow whatever medicine is doled out to them until they know what it is, what it does, and what alternative treatment is available.’

‘More than 1,000 sales force management awards and 8,000 support staff awards were doled out as a result.’

‘A total of 40 tonnes of cornmeal was due to be handed out on the first day but aid officials could not confirm if the entire amount was doled out.’

‘Europe recognises regions rather than cities and, like it or not, that is how the cash is doled out.’

‘Firstly, research contracts are doled out on a ‘winner take all’ model, with a five year lifespan - so if a researcher or team misses out, they must survive on a shoestring for five years.’

‘In most cases, the free passes are doled out even without asking.’

‘It is up to us to enact the regulation, oversight, and judgment necessary to insure that the correct rewards and punishments are doled out to the correct people.’

‘These are fascinating, but could have been more so, had the author used them in a coherent narrative, rather than doling them out in snippets, rarely more than two pages long, to form an impressionistic collage.’

‘They will eventually be moved to a clean lab, where they will be doled out to researchers.’

‘Gifts in the form of sweets, books, posters and cookies were doled out throughout the day!’

‘These raises will be doled out in eight quarterly payments starting in December 2002.’

‘The CEO did not specify who provided this advice and if the same advice was doled out to all 11 health boards.’

Origin

Old English dāl ‘division, portion, or share’, of Germanic origin; related to deal. The sense ‘distribution of charitable gifts’ dates from Middle English; the sense ‘unemployment benefit’ dates from the early 20th century.